Vehicle bumper



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E PLANTE VEHICLE BUMPER. man Nov. 1s. 1922.

Mis

Mar, 13,

Patented Mar. 13, 1923..

ERNEST PLANTE, F INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

VEHICLE BUMPER Application sied November is, 1922. serial No. 601,684.

To aZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST PLAN'rE, a subject of the King of Great Britain, a

resident of Indianapolis, in the county or"k arion and State of Indiana, have invented a certain new and useful Vehicle Bumper,

' of which the following is a specication.

relates to improvements in and the principal object is y invention vehicle bumpers the provision of such a device which may be readily and cheaply manufactured and readily and quickly mounted and adjusted in position on vehicles of various sizes yand which will operateetliciently and elfectively to relieve the vehicle of. the shock of collision or impact with anyobjects in its path.

Another object of this invention is the provision of such a device which includes a single resilient impact or bumper mem ber having a plurality of lever members pivotally 'connected thereto and to the frame of the vehicle and having a plurality of compression spring members connected to the impact or bumper member and to the lever members whereby all parts of the impact or bumper member 'have suiicient resilience to accomplish the purpose ofthe device.

Another object of this invention is the provision of such a device wherein impact with any part ofthe impact or bumper member is resisted by the resilience of the member itself and also by the compression of the springs.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as may hereinafter appear my invention consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and sought to be delined in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings which show a preferred embodiment ofmy invention, it beingl expressly understood, however, that various changes may be made in practice without digressing from my inventive idea.

In the drawings,-

Figure 1 represents a top plan view ot the forward partof a vehicle, shown as an automobile, having a device constructed according to and shown in its normal oruncompressed position, partl lozt the left-hand supporting member being broken away and shown in section to facilitate the disclosure.

my invention attached theretol Figure 2 is a side elevational view from the right-handside of the device shown in Figure 1 shown on an enlargedscale, a part of the lever member and end of the resilient impact or bumper member being broken away to facilitate the disclosure, this being indicated by line 2-2 in Figure 1. c

ylirigure 3 is an elevation ofthe inside of one end portion of the resilient impact or bumper member showing the clamping means whereby the lever member is connected thereto and the clamping means whereby the compression spring member is connected thereto, this view being taken along line 3-3 of Figure 1. l

Figure t isa vertical cross-sectional view taken substantially on line 4 4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a front end elevation of the washer forthe hooks which secure the device to the chassis of the vehicle.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of the device shown in Figure 5.

Referring now to the drawings, the numeral 10 designates the chassis of the vehicle, the front part of which only is shown,

and the numeral 11 designates the supporti ing or attaching members tor the bumper as a whole. As shown these consist of straight I-beam members which are clamped to the chassis members by means of the hook bolts 12, the hooked ends 13 of which engage the flanges of the chassis member. The other end of these boltsis screw-threaded to receive thenuts 14 which engage against the clamping washer 15. This clamping washer 15 is provided with a shoulder 16 which provides an abutment and a socket 17 to receive the edge of the vI-beam member 11 whereby the I-beam member and the chassis member are securely connected togethery so as to afford a secure mounting for the bumper on the vehicle.l lThe shoulder 16 above referred to is of wavy conformation (see Figure 5) so as to provide a secure gripy to `prevent slipping of the parts. The washer 15 is of generally elongated shape having the apering of I-beamf construction, it is to be'understood that they may be formed by any other suitable member.

The bumper itselfv includes, a; single im; vpact or bumper member 22 which is of generally curved or arc shape and of sufficient length to extend completely across the front .held position by i bers. 23fwhich' 2lljformebd on varied. The outer end v'of each lever is pivf e nection lvvi spring member impact or able means being as bolts.

otallyV connected` as at 2.6 to a two-part clampingy member 27. This two-part clamping ,i'iifember-27v is in the form o' a pair of lugs having the overturnedlips 28y adapted to tightly engage against the front face of the resilient impactor bumper member 22.

vThe other end'fot the lever member 23 is provided with a'seat 29 to receive the small end ofa conical compression spring 30, suitprovided forl holding thev same in iposition, these being illustrated The outer and larger ends. of the conical compression spring members rest in thev combined seat and clamp members These are best shown in Figure 3 and are in .the forni oiiia'split ringhaving the apertured i i bOlt 34;. Each one of these ymembers 32 is providedk lugs 33' to receive the clamping with th'e overturned lips adapted to engagejthe outerface oithe impact or bumper member 22. Q y v l It is to'be noted that with this constructiony any pressure on the outer end of the bumper. member will result in compression ofthe spring members, particularly the ad'- jacent springmember through the lever construction, and that any pressure against'the impact orbumper member between its con- `h the lever member 23 and the U 30 will result in direct compression ofthe spring and 'also indirect compression of the spring' through` its lever member.- Furthermore', pressure against the impact or bumper member between the connections for the two spring members will result primarily in direct compression of the two spring members and also in indirect compression through the lever members due to the'natural resiliency of the impact or bumper member itself. Therefore the lever members 23 in connection with the compres sion spring members 30 serve as compensating members JiEor equalizing the strain of collision wherever it occurs.

It is to be noted that the various connections to theimpact o-r bumper member are made without the use of holes 'or bolts thereand 'is' being of sufh-` through so as not to detract from itsnatural strength and further that as these connections are made by means of clamping membersa very "desirableyraiige oi' adjustability is provided. This is also true of the connection -ofthe lever members with the Jirame or chassis of the vehicle, the plurality o holes or apertures 25'iproviding means for attaching the device to vehicles of difterent sizes and also tor-varyingthe leverage of the lever V'members 23. y Tn addition to the advantages struction heretoforeV set 'forth understood that this device p rear bumper wellj as a front bumper as illustrated and in. thatcapacity will serve as a luggage or tire carrier. This latter use might necessitate slight changes. in tlieI'-4 beam members ll but these arerelatively unimportant and'neednotbe explained in this connection.

What T claim' is: l. A device k.of the character described,v including, in combination, a resilient impact member, a plurality oi lever members pivotally connected to theirame of the vehicle and each having one end connected" directly tothe impact member and compression oi the conitis to? be can be usedas ay spring member, interposed between the other.

i 95 2. [i device ofthe character described, in`v end of each lever and tlie impact member.' cluding, in combination, a lresilient impact member, a plurality of lever members pivot.- ally connected to the and veach having one end connected directly to the impact memberxand a compi'SSOii spring member-'interposed between the y other end of each lever and the impact,A member',

said last mentioned'y end'ofl tlielever-,beiylg shorter than the first mentioned part thereoll 3. A device of the character describedin cluding, in combination, a` resilient impact member,`aplurality of lever members pivot-v ally connected to the frame of the' vehicle, said lever members havingl arms of unequal. length, the longer arm b'eingpivotaflly cons nected at its end directlyto" th`e impactl member, and av compression spri'iigmember interposed between -a'n intermediate part of the impact member van'djthe end oit" the; shorter armo'f' each lever.

-l-. A device of the character describ,e.din, cluding, in combination, a resilientfimpact; member, a if plurality of levers` pivotally mounted on the Jframe of a vehicle, clam-ping means for pivotally COnnectingoneendDf each lever to the impact member, a` compression spring,` member mounted'on. the

for connecting. each vcOiiipression spring member to the impactmember. y Y I 5. Aydevice of the/ characterdescribed, in.- cluding, yinl combination, aresilient impact member, a plurality of equali-zingvmembefrs pivotally mounted 'on the frame of a vehicle 'frame of the vehicle each having one end directly connected to said impact member and the other end of said equalizing member having a resilient connection with said impact member.

6. A de-vice of the character described, including, in combination, a resilient impact member, a plurality of equalizing members pivo-tally mounted on the frame of a vehicle each having one end directly connected to said impact member and a compression spring interposed between the other end of said equalizing member' and the impact member.

7. A device of the character described, including, in combination, a resilient impact member, a plurality of equalizing members pivotally mounted on the frame of the vehicle, said equalizing members havin@ arms of unequal length and having one end directly pivot-ed t-o said impact member and a resilient connection between the other end of said equalizing member and said impact member. l

8. A device of the character described, including, in combination, a resilient impact member, a plurality of equalizing members pivotally mounted on the frame of a vehicle, said equalizing members having arms of unequal length, the long arm being directly pivoted to said impact member and a compression spring interposed between the short arm and said impact member.

9. A device of the character described, including, in combination, a resilient impact member, a plurality of equalizing members pivotally mounted on the frame of a vehicle, said equalizing members. having arms of .unequal length, the long arm being directly pivoted to said impact member and a compression spring interposed between t-he short arm and said impact member, said members all lying in substantially the same horizontal plane.

l0. A device of the character described, including, in combination, an impact member, a plurality of equalizing members pivotally mounted on t-he frame of a vehicle, one arm of each equalizing member being pivotally connected to said impact member and the other arm of each equalzing member having a resilient connection with said impact member.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto set my hand this 11th day of November, 1922.

Y ERNEST PLANTE. 

